Friday, 1 April 2016

In My Kitchen - April 2016

I was confused this past month. My brain just could not compute that Easter was in March not April. I kept thinking Anzac Day was just after Easter, and hubby's birthday. Thankfully, I am now actually a month in credit! The autumn weather hasn't really started either which has confused me even more. When will it cool down, folks?There hasn't been a huge amount happening in my kitchen in recent weeks. I think my brain has been having a bit of a blog hiatus. I have noticed that quite a few bloggers have slowed down lately. Something in the air perhaps? I know Maureen our lovely host has been in the wars lately, so I send her/you my best wishes!

beautifully soft and fragrant pods

In my kitchen are these stunningly fragrant and squishy vanilla pods from Madagascar. When I opened the packet, my kitchen was full of this amazingly fruity, spicy aroma. Normally I buy them online from north Queensland farms, but the crops were destroyed late last year when a huge storm blew in, so here we have these instead. This led to my latest batch of vanilla extract steeping for the next few months. I was reminded when I read one of Maureen's posts that I needed to get it on the go pronto.

vanilla beans doing their thing for the next few months

I poured in about 625 mls. of vodka with 20+ pods. You know the basic "recipe" is one cup vodka to 8 vanilla beans. I find it a wee bit funny that some of them are apparently 'pods' and some 'beans'. Not sure what the difference is! BTW don't buy the beans at a supermarket if you can help it; they were almost 6 times the cost of buying in bulk online. I nearly choked when I saw the price of one bean!

Over Easter, we had friends pop by for arvo tea. We indulged in this gooey, gorgeous mess. Pour honey over your fave soft cheese, sprinkle on some chopped nuts and bake in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes till it starts to ooze like this. Sooo darn delish! Serve with pita bread that you have heated for a few minutes in the oven. Oh yes, you could throw on some herbs and sea salt flakes too.

Miss B. knows a chap down her way who makes these lovely saucers to go with her tumblers. They are made of local camphor laurel, and smell divine. (Hard to believe that camphor laurel is a Class 3 Declared Pest Plant). The wood turner is in his 70s, and only has one arm! True story.

tea towel

Some readers may remember I love to collect - and use - tea towels. Mr P. and I went off to the Queensland Museum over Easter to check out the Medieval Power exhibition from the British Museum collections. This is a beauty to add to my bulging drawers.

who could resist this cute fridge magnet?

And last but not least, here is Nigella's latest. I got this from Mr P. at Christmas, along with a few other cookbooks. I haven't actually delved into it yet but I will - soon.

42 comments:

Ooooohhhhh loads of goodness going on there Sherry! I'm such a grinch with my vanilla essence I don't know why - maybe because I know how good it is and how long it look to make! I should just top it up or start another batch. I thought your garlic crusher was a mushroom haha! but I like it - very simple but useful.

hi Maei have never seen or heard of powdered vanilla. sounds intriguing. home made is good! you know exactly what's in it:) and it is lovely to have home grown garlic or at least aussie grown I hate the chinese stuff. so stale by the time we get it and they bleach it Yuk..

Your vanilla stash reminds me that I've run out of homemade vanilla essence. My ratio is 10 pods to one full bottle of vodka - then hide it from the kids.I also received the Nigella book for Christmas and have already made a couple of dishes out of it - and loved them.

I hope it cools down very soon, my first summer in Brissy has been way too long! Isn't homemade vanilla essence the best, I love vanilla, real vanilla much much more than chocolate. Love the story of the one armed woodturner.

Wow! I love being in your kitchen Sherry =) Perhaps it's because I've found another blogger who collects tea towels with the same passion...and exquisite taste. (Tee hee!) Seriously, thank you for saving my budget with the tips about vanilla beans. I do buy them on occasion and you're right - they're pricey...Off I go to Amazon land...But before I go, many thanks too for the gorgeous land of cheese, honey and nuts combo for pita bread dipping!

vanilla is so expensive in the supermarkets! Love your tea towel and am now inspired to get more disciplined when it comes to expanding my own collection! I always feel upset though when they get stained (thanks to family who can't tell the difference between the 'good towels' and cheapie ones to be used for spills!

vanilla is so expensive in the supermarkets! Love your tea towel and am now inspired to get more disciplined when it comes to expanding my own collection! I always feel upset though when they get stained (thanks to family who can't tell the difference between the 'good towels' and cheapie ones to be used for spills!

Love your cheese Sherry it is always delightful to have a snack of baked cheese with all the goodies. Life is just becoming so fast everyone is burnt out and we all need a rest. I am sure you are looking forward to the Anzac day like I am.

I am absolutely drooling over that melted brie. I got to that photo and pretty much stopped reading for at least a minute, haha! What a lovely IMK post. I'm new to the monthly link up so it's been heaps of fun reading other people's blogs and getting to know other kitchens and recipes. You have a lovely blog Sherry and I love your furkid in the side bar (I have my own, an 18 month old pup named Loki who I talk about all the time). can't wait to hear about your wonderful vanilla when it's ready to use (I can imagine the fragrance when you open the jar!)

Great post and lovely things, yum with the gooey cheese. I received the same Nigella cookbook for Christmas. Let me know what you make and how they turn out. So far I have made the chili and it was very good. Make sure to shred the beef before serving though.

i was checking out her book this morning and there are some great recipes in it. she always has a no churn ice cream and this one is blackcurrant. i like the look of that plus the smoked fish salad and lots of others.

Those vanilla pods and that cheese - YUM! I would definitely have to agree that a lot of bloggers have slowed down/maybe even lost a little of their blogging mojo. I would say that I have in my bouts of morning sickness, but I am hoping that I will be a little more active online this month.

I have brie in my fridge, I think it's heading into the oven on Saturday with a couple of glasses of red wine - my husband will love it :) There's nothing like homegrown organic garlic- my brother-in-law was very protective of his this year but he's growing 3 times as much now so I can have more than one bulb! See you soon x #IMKhttps://missfoodfairy.com/2016/04/10/in-my-kitchen-april-2016/

i buy my garlic online usually from a farm in nsw but it sells like hot cakes - you have to get in quick! so i was really grateful when maree sent me some of hers. enjoy the gooey cheese! it is so yum.

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